Both these additions to the Stylus compact range inherit a few features from Olympus’s other lines, not least of which is the TruePic VII image processor from the O-MD family.

The Olympus Stylus SH-1’s design is echoes the Olympus Pen series, with an aluminium alloy body, metal finish and synthetic leather grip.

Chief among its feature set is the optical image stabilisation. The Stylus SH-1 brings Olympus’s 5-axis image stabilisation system to a digital compact, controlling and reducing blur in five planes of movement.

Olympus claims the system works so well that ‘you can shoot long Full HD movies from the back of a moving scooter’.

Housed elsewhere in the Stylus SH-1 is a 16-megapixel BSI CMOS sensor as well as the TruePic VII image processor we’ve seen on the OM-D E-M1. It features a 24x optical zoom lens with a focal range of 25-600mm (35mm equivalent).

The SH-1 also boasts an integrated level gauge or ‘artificial horizon’ for keeping images straight. Focus and framing can be monitored and controlled via the 3in, 460,000-dot LCD touchscreen.

Olympus claims that the Tough TG-3 is not only waterproof but also shockproof from heights of 2.1 metres, crushproof to weights of 100kg, dustproof, and freezeproof to -10°C. Like the SH-1, it boasts 16MP BSI CMOS sensor.

Designed for getting up close with nature, The Tough TG-3 comes equipped with an Advanced Super Macro Mode that’s actually four separate modes in one: Microscope Mode, Microscope Control Mode, Focus Stacking Mode and Focus Bracketing Mode.


Image: The Stylus Tough TG-3 is ruggedly built for rough conditions

Microscope mode allows for 40x magnification of subjects as close as 1cm, while Focus Stacking Mode simulates the technique for which it is named, automatically taking multiple shots of a single macro subject with different parts in focus and then merging them into a single image.

Both new Stylus cameras are equipped with Wi-Fi and can be remotely controlled via a compatible smartphone.

A number of optional accessories are also available for both models, including an exclusive leather jacket for the SH-1 and a macro ringlight for the Tough TG-3.

The Olympus Stylus SH-1 will be available from the end of April in silver, black or white, priced £349.99. Meanwhile, the Olympus Stylus Tough TG-3 will be released in June and cost the same.